I just love the assertions on this site about Bryston not being high-end gear. Have any of you guys actually taken the time to assemble and then listen to a Bryston-based system, with good speakers, in a home listening environment? FWIW, Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, Hi-Fi+ Magazine, and other audio publications have consistently rated Bryston equipment as "Class A" or "Class B", and a number of their reviewers own Bryston amps and preamps. Bryston gear is also used by MANY of the leading recording studios, as well as for mastering the sound tracks of MOST of the major motion pictures of the last 5 years (see Bryston's web site for specifics).
If your personal preference in audio gear is not inclined toward Bryston, that's cool -- this is a hobby, after all. But I think it's misleading to suggest to a newbie that Bryston gear is "mid-fi". Both the audio quality AND the build quality of Bryston equipment is competitive with some of the most expensive high-end audio equipment made today, and the 20-year warranty is merely very nice frosting on the cake.
So, Steve, by all means consider Bryston gear, but you should also take a hard look at Rotel, Parasound, Creek, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, and other makers of moderately-priced high-end audio gear. And, with due respect to Mapleleafs3, speakers are VERY important. Unless you plan to buy an analog front end, your speakers will be the only transducer (an electrical component that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, or vice versa) in your system, and thus subject to the widest variability in sound quality. Every component in a system is important, but the speakers will ultimately determine whether you like the SOUND of your overall system.
After 40+ years in this hobby, I usually suggest to newbies that they start by choosing their speakers first, and then select their amp and preamp (or high-quality integrated amp). If you select highly efficient speakers, then you will not need as much amplifier power, which may leave more money in the budget toward other components. The reverse is also true.
Interconnects and speaker cables are perhaps the most debated topic in our hobby. Given your budget, you can afford good quality cabling, and a good starting point are the products made by Kimber Kable, and by Alpha-Core. Both manufacturers make excellent, reasonably-priced products (and Alpha-Core has a 30-day money-back home trial of their Goertz speaker cables). Kimber Kable's "Hero" interconnects are a good choice and value, as is their 8TC and 4TC speaker cables. And Alpha-Core's Goertz MI2 speaker cable is hard to beat, even at twice the price.
You might spend some time looking through the Audiogon archives, as all of these topics have been "cussed" and "discussed" before on this forum. Most importantly, however, is the advice to "trust your own ears" -- oh yes, and its corollary: HAVE FUN!
If your personal preference in audio gear is not inclined toward Bryston, that's cool -- this is a hobby, after all. But I think it's misleading to suggest to a newbie that Bryston gear is "mid-fi". Both the audio quality AND the build quality of Bryston equipment is competitive with some of the most expensive high-end audio equipment made today, and the 20-year warranty is merely very nice frosting on the cake.
So, Steve, by all means consider Bryston gear, but you should also take a hard look at Rotel, Parasound, Creek, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, and other makers of moderately-priced high-end audio gear. And, with due respect to Mapleleafs3, speakers are VERY important. Unless you plan to buy an analog front end, your speakers will be the only transducer (an electrical component that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, or vice versa) in your system, and thus subject to the widest variability in sound quality. Every component in a system is important, but the speakers will ultimately determine whether you like the SOUND of your overall system.
After 40+ years in this hobby, I usually suggest to newbies that they start by choosing their speakers first, and then select their amp and preamp (or high-quality integrated amp). If you select highly efficient speakers, then you will not need as much amplifier power, which may leave more money in the budget toward other components. The reverse is also true.
Interconnects and speaker cables are perhaps the most debated topic in our hobby. Given your budget, you can afford good quality cabling, and a good starting point are the products made by Kimber Kable, and by Alpha-Core. Both manufacturers make excellent, reasonably-priced products (and Alpha-Core has a 30-day money-back home trial of their Goertz speaker cables). Kimber Kable's "Hero" interconnects are a good choice and value, as is their 8TC and 4TC speaker cables. And Alpha-Core's Goertz MI2 speaker cable is hard to beat, even at twice the price.
You might spend some time looking through the Audiogon archives, as all of these topics have been "cussed" and "discussed" before on this forum. Most importantly, however, is the advice to "trust your own ears" -- oh yes, and its corollary: HAVE FUN!